Birth of the beautiful mountain - A review of Schönberg's Splendid Rosa Birth ～華麗なるロサ、誕生～

Schönberg is a Japanese symphonic power metal quartet. Its first record Splendid Rosa Birth ～華麗なるロサ、誕生～ comes around with thirteen songs, including five instrumental tracks, with a total running time of forty-four minutes. The entertaining record convinces with great flow from start to finish without any filler material.

Three elements manage to stand out in particular. First and foremost, the neoclassical guitar play is executed with outstanding technical skills and offers elegant melodies with an at times progressive touch. Secondly, the keyboards vary from cinematic symphonic elements over upbeat melodies supporting the guitar play to smooth lullaby passages in the calmer tracks. Thirdly, the singer convinces with a melodic and mature voice that avoids entering overambitious classically trained terrain. She also performs some narrative passages that manage to keep the record's concept together while offering some diversity.

Everything is executed with care, concept and passion on this high-quality debut album. It's noteworthy that the band avoids overambitious songwriting like so many of its genre colleagues as the songs vary between one minute and five and a half minutes in length. Everything sounds focused, organized and precise. The only thing to criticize is that a truly surprising, outstanding or memorable song is missing here. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts however and any symphonic power metal fan should check this record out and keep an eye on this overlooked band.

Final rating: 80%